Mission

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Founded out of tragedy in 1994, Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS) has grown and established itself as the front line resource to families and loved ones of our military men and women. TAPS has provided comfort and care, 24 hours a day, seven days a week through comprehensive services and programs including peer based emotional support, case work assistance, crisis intervention, and grief and trauma resources. TAPS has assisted over 40,000 surviving family members, casualty officers and caregivers. Our National Military Survivor Seminars and Good Grief Camps have been conducted for nineteen years, and are complemented by regional seminars across the country.

Mission

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Founded out of tragedy in 1994, Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS) has grown and established itself as the front line resource to families and loved ones of our military men and women. TAPS has provided comfort and care, 24 hours a day, seven days a week through comprehensive services and programs including peer based emotional support, case work assistance, crisis intervention, and grief and trauma resources. TAPS has assisted over 40,000 surviving family members, casualty officers and caregivers. Our National Military Survivor Seminars and Good Grief Camps have been conducted for nineteen years, and are complemented by regional seminars across the country.

Results Information

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Results Information

Charting Impact

What is your organization aiming to accomplish?

Each day, TAPS receives fifteen new survivors seeking connection to grief resources and searching for understanding and comfort in a life that has been shaken from the sudden and traumatic loss of a loved one serving in our nation's Armed Forces. As a nation, it is our sacred duty to honor the service of these men and women by being present and caring for their loved ones left behind. TAPS programs and services are available to anyone who has been affected by the death of a service member, the relationship and the cause of death do not determine eligibility, and all are welcomed into the TAPS family. Through a comprehensive set of services and programs, TAPS stands in the gap with survivors and helps them navigate their new life. Our ultimate goal is to ensure that all surviving family members are connected with appropriate programs and resources.

What are your strategies for making this happen?

TAPS is founded on four pillars of service; these pillars provide a sound strategy that allows us to offer a continuum of care for surviving family members. Our core services are:Peer-Based Emotional Support brings together military survivors at Seminars, Retreats, Camps, and Expeditions. Since 1994, TAPS has provided over 75,000 grieving military families with a safe and comforting environment where, through peer connections, hope is found, healing begins and critical coping skills are acquired, establishing a healthy foundation for life after loss. Casework Assistance provides survivors guidance in navigating the often-complex network of government benefits, as well as access to emergency financial assistance in cases of hardship. Families of the fallen can connect to all available public and private resources, including education benefits for children and widows, state benefits and services, and private assistance for surviving military families. National Military Survivor Helpline stands ready around the clock, staffed by trained peer professionals, as a critical lifeline for military survivors. Over 15,000 per year are given attention and compassionate care, delivering comfort and connection to the comprehensive resources of TAPS. Community Based Care offers critical connections for the 15 plus new bereaved survivors who come to TAPS each day. In addition to all TAPS provides, comfort is delivered close to home through access to the following:appropriate local grief and trauma support services; unlimited free clinical grief counseling for all; online grief and trauma support groups and services; and access to TAPS publications and resources.

What are your organization's capabilities for doing this?

The structure of TAPS is based on best practices from bereavement studies and is shaped by the response to the growing needs of military survivors. Experienced professionals within their respective fields lead the comprehensive programs and services. TAPS has PhDs, licensed mental health providers, and a staff that has solid education and experience working with bereaved individuals. TAPS employees are members of national organizations that provide ongoing professional development and monitor licensure requirements.

How will your organization know if you are making progress?

Programs and services are evaluated through the use of quantitative and qualitative measurements. All programs are developed with the goal of capturing data that will enhance program delivery and effectiveness.

What have and haven't you accomplished so far?

Since TAPS was founded in 1994, over 75,000 surviving family members have received been served through our programs and services. In the past five years, TAPS has seen a consistent level of 5,000 new survivors seeking support and connection to grief resources. TAPS welcomes survivors regardless of their relationship to the deceased, or the circumstance of the death. Survivors of suicide loss represent the highest percentage of new survivors to TAPS, with 33% of new survivors in 2016. As the demand for outreach and support to this population has increased, TAPS created a program to specifically address the challenges and needs of survivors of suicide loss. Lead by Kim Ruocco, MSW, TAPS Suicide Prevention and Postvention program has a dedicated staff of trained peer professionals providing tailored support, exclusive online support, and in 2017 will be conducting the 9th Annual National Military Suicide Survivor Seminar and Good Grief Camp. In 2016, TAPS answered over 16,000 calls to our National Military Survivor Helpline; and provided much-needed casework assistance in over 2,300 incidents. We welcomed 2,000 adult participants to 11 Military Survivor Seminars, hosted 24 retreats for over 500 survivors and matched 1,100 military mentors with 1,100 children at 15 national and regional Good Grief Camps and Campouts. Connections to counseling were facilitated for thousands of survivors, including personally researched community resource reports and providing connection to bereavement groups close to home. TAPS connected families with $75 million in funding and education benefits through scholarships and VA referrals. As TAPS continues to grow, our leadership team constantly looks at best practices in the field of bereavement, as well as event based evaluations to insure that new and continuing programs are fundamentally sound and meet the changing needs of military survivors.

GuideStar's Gold Seal of Transparency is earned by completing five questions around an
organization's strategies, progress, and results, known as Charting Impact.
Charting Impact encourages strategic thinking about how an organization intends to achieve its goals.
The end result is a report that lets nonprofits share concise, detailed information about plans
and progress with key stakeholders, including the public.
This data is provided directly by nonprofits to GuideStar via their Nonprofit Profile.

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This results data is current as of November 2017, when it was provided to us by GuideStar.
Results information published on this organization's rating page has no effect on its rating at this time.
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Financial Charts

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Programs (FYE 12/2015)

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Program names and associated costs are listed for the top programs as reported on the charity's most recently filed Form 990. The top programs displayed will include the largest three programs, or those programs covering at least 60% of the charity's total expenses, whichever comes first.

Program Name

Amount Spent

% of Program Expenses

Regional and National Survivor Seminars

$2,944,240

36.9%

TAPS Helpline

$2,670,217

33.4%

TAPS Survivor Care Team

$2,368,341

29.7%

Ratings History

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Ratings HistoryTragedy Assistance Program for Survivors has received 5 consecutive 4-star ratings from Charity Navigator.

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